Cooking in a boat

I ate at this place a couple times because it is close to my guesthouse and cheap. This dude climbs into a miniature longtail boat and cooks his noodles and meats for you. This is the kind of wierd image that you take for granted after being here for a while.

Chiang Mai night lights and the moat

A blurry shot taken from the back of the motorcycle (three on a bike! -- a piece of cake after doing this in Mae Sot for two months).

Faster and Faster

A tuk-tuk races under its propane power through the streets of Chiang Mai at night. There are no public buses around here so either you take a tuk-tuk or hire a motorcycle.

Friends at Smile Guesthouse

Solo traveller? You're never alone. Everyone in this photo left their home alone. Moron (an Israeli just out of the Air Force a week into his year of travels in SE Asia), me, Emily, Peter, Sonya (a German who had just arrived into Thailand for six weeks of travel), and Sandra (a Berliner 9 weeks into her 12 week holiday in Cambodia and Thailand).

Emily and Peter enjoying hot pot

That ringed pan has a dome in the center (with vents) for grilling foods. The shallow moat around the dome has a broth in which you can boil the vegetables, noodles, meatball products, tofu, and meat. You then dip the food into your sauce of choice. The green one has the sweet taste of cilantro, green onion, sesame, green chili's. The red one has red peppers. This cost 90 BHT a person. I love Thailand!

Hot cauldrons...

Eerie purple light in buckets. These were buckets of coals and ceramic brickets that were placed under the hot pot through a hole in the table. I can't imagine how great it would feel it the bucket dropped on our toes.

Pile on the goods...

How this works:
First you go to the long table and gather up an assortment of raw food on trays. There were raw meats, vegetables, glass and green noodles, seafood, and some meatball products. You bring this all back to your table to cook. All-u-can-eat. Mmmmm...

What is this place?

Hungry after an hour of fruitless searching for "Chinatown" restaurants in Chiang Mai, Peter, Emily, and I settled on investigating this popular open-air establishment just outside the moat. What does it look like to you?

"Have you ever given a foot massage?"

This is a pretty relaxing way to take a break from the shopping. It was 59 BHT for thirty minutes (about $1.50).

Buddhas watch over

There is something vaguely ironic about the ghostly images of Buddha presiding over the market of souvenir hawkers and the tourists.

The blur of shoppers

What I said in Bali applies to Chiang Mai (and Thailand). When you come here, bring empty luggage; you buy everything you need here and more. Bargain hard (shoot for half the starting price and work from there).

The Sunday Market again

A week has come and gone, and I'm still in Chiang Mai! Another visit to the Sunday market. This street is closed to motorized traffic from Tha Phae gate into the city center. There are places to eat, buy souvenirs, and get a massage in recliner chairs while your friends shop. An evening well-spent.

Khun Took at Brasserie

This guy is amazing. The Doors, Hendrix, ZZ-Top...this is classic rock from the 60's and 70's. Not (gasp!) the stuff from the 80's and 90's, which is NOT "classic". I wish you guys could hear this stuff. And he sings!

Traditional Thai dance?

Not a burlesque show, but a free traditional thai dance with live percussion band at the night market food court in Chiang Mai.